Another Generation Affected By War
by Dimcairien
Summary: 20 years after the end of Rilla of Ingelside, WWII starts and Anne's grandsons go off to war. Her granddaughters start a Jr Red's group. Her children understand their parents WWI fears even more. Rating for later chapters. Rewrite of The Next Generation.
1. Intro to characters

_**A/N Okay, so I had this story posted awhile back, but gave up on it because I lost interest, partly because hardly anyone was reading it. Recently a reviewer asked me if I was going to continue. I've still occasionally thought about this story, so I decided to keep going. But before I could do that, I needed to go back and fix the chapters. I started this over a year ago and my writing has improved greatly since then. This is a re-write of The Next Generation. The plot is the same, but I've changed a few names and have been adding more description.**_

**_This first chapters contains information about what the Blythe family is like after the Great War, as well as all of the marriages that occurred and grandchildren who were born. The next nine chapters are mostly written, as they are what I had finished earlier, but I'm going to be editing them and I would like to get a few chapters ahead before I start posting. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up within a week as I'm nearly done editing it._**

_**I hope you enjoy.  
**_

It had been over twenty years since the Great War ended by August of 1939 and the Treaty of Versailles had been signed a few weeks previously. After their children married, the Blythe and Meredith families were happily related in several ways, which resulted in many sets of double cousins.

After the war and finishing medical school, Jem Blythe married Faith Meredith. They had fraternal twin sons, Gilbert and John. Gilbert had his father's ruddy curls and John had sleek, black hair. Their youngest was their daughter, Meradith, who also had red hair, which she kept rather short. She looked almost exactly like her Grandmother Blythe, except for the fact that her eyes were brown. The boys were nearly sixteen and quite tall for their age. Currently, the twins were about to start their first year at Queens. Meredith, on the other hand was petite. Meradith was fourteen, but was constantly mistaken for twelve and sometimes even ten. She didn't like that, and always loved to correct people about her age. Jem had begun to take over his father's practice in Glen St. Mary after graduating and the two often helped each other. In recent years it had been fully Jem as his father was retired. Faith too was involved in the medical field, though she had never gotten a degree. She used her experience as a Red Cross Nurse to her advantage and could often help with various emergencies when Jem couldn't get there right away.

Jerry Meredith and Nan Blythe had also gotten married and the two of them lived in Lowbridge, where Jerry was the Presbyterian minister. They had triplets, Walter, Joy Anne, and Cecilia. Walter looked exactly like his namesake, complete with the sleek hair. Joy Anne had inherited her maternal grandmother's grey-green eyes, while having her mother's brown hair. Cecilia on the other hand had vivid blue eyes with brown hair as well. The girls both had torso length hair for they both loved it long. As the two girls looked almost exactly alike apart from their eye color, they could easily be mistaken for each other, until someone figured out who's eyes were who's. The triplets had recently celebrated their seventeenth birthday and were already counting down the days until they turned eighteen. The triplets had all graduated from Queens, and though Walter wanted to go to Redmond after taking a years break, neither of the girls were interested in continuing their education. Jerry had mostly recovered from his injury, though on occasion, it would bother him and he couldn't go for long periods without some type of back support. Despite being involved in the Red Cross as well, Nan had no plans on using it as Faith had. She had always wanted to be a stay-at-home mother and she had gotten her wish. Now that her children were grown, Nan had taken to spending her time sewing and working on various other projects with her quilting club. There was some talk of eventually moving back to Glen St. Mary when John Meredith retired from being Minister, but most likely that wouldn't happen for a few more years.

Di Blythe had married Jack Wright. They had one son, Fredrick, and they usually called him Freddie as there already were two Freds in the Wright family, and that was confusing enough. Freddie was getting very close to his eighteenth birthday, and was very excited. He couldn't wait until he became an adult. Fred was just about to begin his first year at Redmond. There were two little girls as well. Rachael was eight and Anna was five. There had been another boy between Freddie and the girls, but he had been born too early and had not been able to survive. Freddie had black hair and dark brown eyes and was quite tall for his age, while his sisters both had their mother's hair red. Rachael had her grandmother's eyes as well. Her grandfather said she looked like her grandmother as a child. Anna's hair was more of a strawberry-blond color and her eyes were grey-green. Jack had survived the war, but he had a few problems. Namely, his lungs were on the weak side because of a close brush with German gas. So far the only issue had been shortness of breath, but he just had to be careful. Di was very busy being a mother as she had the youngest children in the Blythe family and they took a lot of time. When she was free, she enjoyed spending time with the other members of her family or simply taking a walk.

Shirley Blythe had ended marring Una Meredith. Una still loved Walter, but knew that he wasn't coming back. She had learned to love Shirley, not in the same way, but still enough to accept his proposal. The two of them had three children. Bertha was the oldest and she was fifteen. She had straight, dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. James was next at thirteen and Matthew was the youngest. He was twelve. James had reddish hair and Matthew's hair was brown. Both of them had hazel eyes. Shirley had come back from the war with more seriousness about him. He understood how precious life was and knew that one should live every day as if it were the last. Una was even quieter than what she had been like before the war. She had taken her course in Household Science and was very practical in how she had raised her three children.

Rilla Blythe had married her Kenneth Ford and they had one son, Kenneth who in order to avoid confusion went by Kenny. Kenny was seventeen and had curly brown hair with brown eyes. They also had adopted a home child, Marjorie, who was ten. They had adopted her when she was five, and people who didn't know them often thought that Marjorie was Rilla's daughter. She suspected this was because both of them had red hair, though Marjorie's eyes were black. Rilla never had gone off to college, rather, she and Ken had gotten married a year after the war had ended. During the war she had learned how to keep house and she kept those skills. Ken had gotten a job at the newspaper office and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Carl Meredith had married Persis Ford and they had one son, Owen age sixteen, and one daughter Rose age twelve. Owen had blond hair and blue eyes and was on the taller side. His younger sister, Rose, had brown hair with a bit of a wave, but her eyes too were blue. Carl had handled his injury quite well and was immensely thankful that he had only lost his sight in one eye. It brought a few issues, such as not being able to tell depth very well, which meant he couldn't get a license, but that was the only main issue. Persis had a very charming personality and loved a laugh. She was an adventures sort and never was bothered about the bugs that Carl was always studying. Bugs didn't bother Owen, but he didn't have a passion for them either. Rose on the other hand refused to enter a room if a bug was in it.

Mary Vance and Miller Douglas had one son Luke and twin daughters, Cornelia and Leslie. Luke was nineteen with straight black hair and dark brown eyes, and very proud of being the oldest of the next generation of Rainbow Valley and the twins had just had their fifteenth birthday. The twins were identical, which was surprising for the Blythe family as all of the other sets of twins they knew were fraternal. They had straight, dark, brown hair and dark blue eyes. The war had made Mary grow up. She was a very motherly person and was sad that her two daughters were headed off to Queens in just a few days. Miller had to learn how to be an indoor person, which had been difficult for him. He still managed to take a walk most days, but he wasn't able to walk as quickly or for as long as he was able to prior to his injury. He eventually learned that and now enjoyed working in the store. Though he would never admit it, he loved the gossip that circled around and almost always found its way to the store. He had learned many interesting things about others in his town, some of them he wasn't certain if he wanted to know, but others were quite helpful.

Gilbert and Anne were very proud of their seven grandsons and seven granddaughters. They also considered Carl's children and Mary's children to be among their grandchildren, so they technically had nineteen grandchildren. Life was always a bit noisy at Ingleside, but it also was great fun. Anne was thankful that all of the children lived close by. The furthest was Nan, she just lived in Lowbridge, so they often got together for Sunday dinner. The children though were constantly trekking the six miles between the two towns, so the cousins saw each other practically every other day or at least the older ones did. On occasion Marjorie and Rachael would go to Lowbridge with some of the older cousins.

Gilbert had slowly retired over the past few years. He was in his mid-seventies and wanted to spend his time with family. Anne too knew that she was getting older, though you would never hear her admit it from her mouth. The couple were still residing at Ingleside, though Shirley and Una with their family had recently moved in with them to help care for them and for the house. Not that they needed much help yet, but it would be nice when that time came.

The family enjoyed being with each other and various other families in the Glen. None of them had fully recovered from the hardships of the Great War, but they all had found a new normal. No one was quite the same, but all of them had changed for the better in the four years of hardship. Thankfully, the past twenty years had been fairly peaceful and no one ever thought that something as terrible as the Great War would happen again.


	2. Finding Out

**_A/N For this chapter, I have included times for each section. This is simply for clarification, because the order that I have written the characters finding out about the outbreak of war and it all happens at different times for them._**

**_This is one of the longest chapters I've written that is entirely my own writing.  
_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Anne of Green Gables series._**

Because everyone was so certain that nothing as terrible as the Great War could ever happen, they were extremely shocked on 1 September, 1939. Yes, Germany had overtaken Austria and Czechoslovakia, but that was Europe. This was Canada. Despite all the chaos in Europe, once again those in the Blythe/Meredith family were positive that nothing could affect Canada the way the Great War had. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

* * *

11:50 PM, August 31, 1939

Rilla and Kenneth were the first in the family to hear about Germany as they had been listening to a musical broadcast on the radio right before bed, when they heard the news. The radio announcer stopped the broadcast and said, "Germany has just attacked Poland. Repeat, Germany has attacked Poland and disregarded the Treaty of Versailles."

Kenneth turned to Rilla and they just looked at each other. There was no need for words for several minutes.

"England will declare war soon," murmured Ken once the announcer had ceased to speak, "and that means Canada will fight once again."

"Kenny," Rilla moaned. "Kenny will go."

"Yes," said Ken. "I'm afraid so. He is too young right now, but he is nearly eighteen."

"I wish he were younger," Rilla said quietly. "I don't want him to leave us."

"I know, Rilla," Ken said gently, "but I know he'll sign up. He's our son after all."

Rilla smiled softly and was about to say something, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Mum? Dad?" asked Kenny. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, Kenny," Rilla answered as she tried to keep her voice steady.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, son," answered Ken.

"Did you hear the radio?" Kenny asked as he entered the room. Without waiting for an answer, he continued "Germany attacked Poland and I know war is going to come."

"We did," said Rilla. "But what are you doing up at nearly midnight?"

"I couldn't sleep," Kenny admitted sheepishly. "I was half-listening to music when I heard the announcer. When do you think England will declare war?"

"I don't know, Kenny," admitted Ken. "I hope that somehow a peaceful negotiation can be made, but I doubt it's possible. I just pray that whatever happens will be settled quickly."

"Yeah," agreed Kenny, "but when war is declared, I'll be old enough soon." His excitement was portrayed in his voice.

"Don't talk about that," said Rilla sternly. "War has not yet been declared. I want to avoid thinking about that as much as possible." She couldn't miss the excitement that was in his tone though. That was how so many other boys had felt last time, but they quickly learned that war wasn't all glory like the old stories said.

"But Mum, everyone has gotten to fight," Kenny protested. "Dad, Uncle Jem, Uncle Shirley, Uncle Jerry, Uncle Carl, and well, Uncle Walter."

Rilla sighed at shut her eyes. Kenny was right, nearly all the boys from her generation had fought in the Great War. It had changed everyone and she didn't want to see that change in her son. "I know son," she said quietly. "And when you turn eighteen, I won't stop you, but please, don't talk about the war as if England has already declared it." Rilla knew that it was inevitable for England to declare war, but she wanted to avoid the topic for a long as possible. She hoped that if she refused to believe war would come, it wouldn't come. She knew that this hope was futile, but she still had it.

"Okay, Mum," Kenny said calmly and he went back to his bedroom.

"He's growing up too fast," sighed Rilla. "I still see him as a little boy and it's hard to realize he's nearly an adult."

"I think most parents still see their children as kids even when the kids are grown," Ken answered. "I know your mother still sees the little roly-poly girl on occasion."

"Oh, Kenneth," said as she shook her head. She knew it was true though. She was still her mother's baby just the same as Kenny was her baby. She was loosing her baby gradually, but if he signed up, she'd loose him instantly.

"Rilla, I hate to leave you, but I probably should get to the office," said Ken. "With news like this, they'll be making some edits for this morning's paper."

"Oh, okay," Rilla answered. With a quick kiss, Kenny pulled on some day clothes and left the room.

With a sigh, Rilla turned of the radio and climbed into bed, alone. This was one of those times when she wished Kenny didn't work at the newspaper office. Normally she didn't mind, but when there was big news at odd hours, it meant he had to leave.

As she lay down Rilla wondered why there had to be another war. The destruction from the previous war had been horrible, but she knew that the destruction of the Great War would be nothing compared to the destruction of the war to come.

* * *

8:57 AM 1 September , 1939

"Shirley, I am so thankful that our boys are not old enough to go to war," said a white-faced Una after reading the message early the morning of September first. "But I'm afraid that the war will last long enough for them to go though. I couldn't stand to send them off. N-Not after what happened last time."

"Una, it is on God's hands," answered Shirley calmly. "Whatever happens is for Him to decide. If the war lasts two years or four or however long it will last, we cannot decide. Only He can. I don't want this war to last until our sons are old enough either, but whatever happens I know that God will help us."

"You should have been a pastor," said Una with a bit of a laugh.

"Thanks, but that's your brother's field," replied Shirley.

"Mum, is this going to become another Great War?" asked Bertha quietly.

"It may, but I hope not," said Una gently. "I'm very thankful that neither of the boys will be able to go for a long time, and hopefully never."

"Most of the others will be old enough," Shirley pointed out.

"I know," admitted Una, "and I wish they too were too young."

* * *

9:08 AM, 1 September, 1939

Anne was sitting on the porch reading the morning paper. She heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Mrs. Marshall Elliott, known by her old friends as Miss Cornelia, coming up the walk. Despite her age she was moving very quickly and Anne realized that Miss Cornelia must be very agitated about something.

"Anne dearie, have you seen this morning's paper?" Miss Cornelia asked as she climbed up the porch steps.

"I was just about to read it, Cornelia. Is there something important in it?" Anne asked. If Miss Cornelia was over it had to be something bad. Well, worse than anything the Methodists or men could get up to, at least in the Glen.

"Yes. That Hitler has gone and invaded Poland! Mark my words, this is going to come to a bad end," said Miss Cornelia as she took a seat on one of the porch chairs. "It happened late last nice for us here in Canada, but early this morning for Europe."

Anne gasped. "Do, do you think there will be w-war?" Anne asked with a start as she thought of the white cross in France that marked the grave of her son. _If Germany had invaded Poland_ . . . Anne quickly shook her head to get rid of the images. She couldn't bear to think what would happen.

"I don't know," Miss Cornelia admitted. "But this man is worse then the Kaiser and he was bad."

"I hope that it will not come to war. It mustn't," Anne said quietly. "Hasn't there been enough war in this century? Enough boys dying? Enough hearts broken?"

"I think so, and you think so, but this man Hitler doesn't think so."

They talked awhile longer and then Miss Cornelia said that she must be going. "Mary's twins are going off to Queens in a few days and Mary's having a party. None of them would ever forgive me if I were to be late. There may be chaos in Europe, but daily activities in the Glen continue."

After Cornelia has gone Anne continued to sit on the porch. _Why had war ever been invented? Was war a necessity?_ Anne didn't think so. There had to be reasonable ways to solve things, but no one ever seemed to look for them. All it seemed was that people wanted to fight.

Gilbert came up the walk from a stroll around the garden and saw Anne sitting there in complete silence. If Anne was silent, she was either brooding or thinking up a story. Her face told him that she was brooding as there wasn't even a hint of a smile, which meant that something had to be wrong."What's wrong Anne-o-mine?" he asked as he gave her a hug.

"Oh, Gilbert," cried Anne. "Cornelia was here and she told me that Germany has attacked Poland!"

Gilbert started just as Anne had done. He too saw a white cross in his mind, the cross that marked the place where their son was forever resting. "Anne, I don't know," he said quietly and gently. "Germany is already starting to take over countries. Think of Austria and Czechoslovakia. The League of Nations will stop Germany before it gets any further." That seemed to help Anne, but Gilbert knew that it would take a miracle to stop Germany. He just hoped for that miracle. He couldn't bear the idea of another war.

* * *

9:34 AM, 1 September, 1939

"Why must two generations one after another have war?" questioned Di to her husband, Jack when they heard the news.

"I don't know Di, I don't know," Jack said slowly, "but there has to be a reason for it somewhere."

"I know," murmured Di, "but why? I don't want anything to happen to Freddie. I know he'll sign up the moment England declares war."

"Di, he's not yet eighteen and this whole thing might end quickly," said Jack, though he didn't believe what he was saying. He was only trying to comfort his wife. Not to mention that Freddie would be eighteen in three days time.

"Jack, both of us know what everyone thought the previous war would be like," said Di quietly. "Everyone thought it would be a matter of months, but it turned into four long years. This war is going to be just as long, and I'm certain it will be worse."

"Di, don't be pessimistic," said Jack in desperation.

"I'm not being pessimistic, I'm being realistic," defended Di.

At that moment, Freddie came tearing into the room with Rachael and Anna not far behind. "Mum, Dad!" Freddie called. "Did you hear the news?"

"Yes we did," said Di quietly.

"England's going to declare war any day now and Canada is going to have to fight again," said Freddie eagerly. "Soon as I'm eighteen next week, I'll be off."

"Fredrick, please," Jack begged quietly. "Don't talk about signing up, at least not yet."

"What's Freddie talking about?" asked Anna curiously.

Di sighed. How on earth did someone explain war to a five-year-old. Thankfully, she didn't have to try and explain because Freddie took over. He had always had a way with his youngest sister.

"There's a big fight going on in Europe," he said. "And England needs more help, so some of us Canadian boys have to go and help."

"Oh," said Anna. To her mind, that made sense. If there were more people on one side, it was easier to win. It was like that whenever she had played tug-a-war. Whatever side had more people or bigger people won.

"That's not everything," said Rachael, "there's more." Rachael had always been an observant child and usually could tell if she wasn't getting the full story. Needless to say, sometimes this trait was a good thing and other times it was a bad thing. At this moment, Jack was wishing his eight-year-old could be fooled a little more easily.

"The other information is not meant for little ears, and that includes yours, Rachael," Jack said firmly, ignoring Rachael's disappointed look. He wanted all of his children to keep their innocence for as long as possible, but he knew it couldn't last much longer with the war. "Freddie, wait a few days and see what happens." He took a deep breath and said, "But if the worst happens, you can go. Just . . . take care."

"You know I will, Dad," Freddie said quietly. "And thanks. Mum, I know nothing has happened with England yet, but I have to go once it does. I have to fulfill my duty."

Di smiled. "I understand, son," she said gently. "Everyone has their sense of duty and yours is with the army. I hope that you're making the right choice when you do go and sign up."

* * *

9:42 AM September 1, 1939

Jem was sitting on the front porch when a frantic Anne ran up the path.

"Mum?" Jem asked, "what's wrong?"

"Did you see the paper?" Anne asked quickly. Without waiting for an answer, she thrust the front page into Jem's hands.

He stared at it for a few brief seconds before reality struck. "Oh, not again," he murmured. "Not after the Great War. W-Was that war simply a waste? Was there a purpose to it if once again the world's at war twenty years later?"

"Jem," Anne said quietly. "Calm down."

"Don't, Mum," Jem said as he tried to regain control of his voice. "Don't tell me to calm down, please. I-I can't be calm with something like this. I-I have to go show this to Faith. Thanks for telling me." And with that Jem turned and went into the house, leaving his mother alone on the front porch. Anne stood there for a few more seconds, and knowing that Jem and Faith needed time alone, she turned and started to head back to her house.

"Faith, where are you?" called Jem from the front hallway.

"I'm in the kitchen!" cried Faith. She quickly came out dusting flour off her hands onto her apron.

"Look at this," Jem said firmly and he handed her the paper.

Faith gasped. "No," she whispered. "I thought this would never happen again. Why does it have to happen?"

"I don't know," Jem said in a slightly frustrated tone. "Does this mean the previous war was a waste? All the lives, the injuries, where they wasted simply because peace hardly lasted? Was it a waste for me to be a POW? Were all the deaths wastes? Was Walter's death a waste? Was -"

Jem was interrupted before he could say anymore. "James Matthew Blythe, stop it," Faith said firmly.

Jem was so surprised at being addressed by his full name that he did.

"Look, there was a purpose for the previous war and there will be a purpose for this one. I don't know what either purpose is, but there is one," said Faith gently. "Nothing was a waste in the previous war. Walter died protecting England and Canada from German invasion. You were a POW because for the same reason. Nothing that happened in the Great War was a waste, you have to believe that, Jem, you have to."

Jem sighed as he leaned against the wall. "I know," he murmured, "but it's so hard."

"We'll get through this somehow, we did last time, and we will again," Faith said calmly. "We have to have faith."

Jem couldn't help but grin slightly and he gave Faith a hug. She often enjoyed making a pun of her name.

At that moment, their twin sons, Gilbert and John, entered the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Mum, Dad?" asked Gilbert.

"n-Nothing, Gil," said Faith quickly, too quickly.

"No, something is wrong," Gil said firmly.

John, who knew better than to try and argue with his parents picked up the newspaper that had fallen to the floor. He read the headline which read "**Germany Attacks Poland! Treaty of Versailles disregarded!**" He looked up and asked, "Is this what's wrong?" as he showed them the paper.

Jem nodded because he knew there was no way around this. "Yes, boys," he said sadly. "I'm afraid the world will once again be at war."

Jem's bluntness startled his two sons. Neither of them had expected there to be a war in their generation, though they knew that the Great War too had been unexpected.

"Will England fight?" asked John slowly.

Jem nodded again and said, "And Canada will too, when the time comes."

"And so will we, if it is necessary," said Gil quietly.

"I hope it doesn't," Jem admitted, "but I'm proud that you want to serve your country."

"Well, there's that," agreed John, "but you fought in the Great War, and well, I feel like there's a family duty as well if England joins the fight."

Jem sighed. "You might feel that way, but I hope that being like me is not the only reason you wish to fight. I don't regret joining up, but I wish I originally joined up for the right reasons. I wanted the glory that came with the fight, but there is nothing glorious about warfare." He paused and quietly added, "Walter though had the right idea. He didn't want to go, but he knew he needed to."

"Canada will need us when the time comes," Gil said, "and we'll be proud to serve her."

* * *

10:23 AM, September 1, 1939

John and Rosemary Meredith had just arrived at Ingleside. Oftentimes on a Friday morning they would go over and visit Anne and Gilbert for a few hours. Normally not much happened, beyond exchanging bits of news. This particular day was completely different though. John and Rosemary arrived to find worried Anne and Gilbert.

"Did something happen?" asked Rosemary quickly. "Are the grandchildren all right?"

"The grandkids are fine," assured Gilbert. He then added, "Have you not heard?"

"Heard what?" asked John warily.

"Germany has gone and attacked Poland!" said Anne.

"Oh God, no!" said Rosemary in horror as she clasped her hands to her mouth. "Not again."

Gilbert nodded solemnly. He wished he wasn't the one to bear this news to the Merediths. "It happened at about 4:30 AM Polish time," he said. Gilbert pasued and then sighed, "They always say history repeats itself if one isn't careful."

"But why?" moaned Rosemary. "Why does there have to be another dreadful war?"

"I don't know," John sighed. "War just keeps on happening."

"Two generations in a row," Rosemary. "Two cursed generations."

"Rose, don't talk like that," John said softly. "Perhaps this will be the war to finish wars."

"That's what was said last time," Gilbert said quietly, "and look what's happening now. Plus, weaponry keeps improving, so it will mean more destruction in wars. As long as their is life on earth, there will be wars."

"Has England declared war yet?" inquired John.

"No, but it's going to happen any day," Anne said. "I just know it will."

"And the boys will join up," Rosemary finished.

"God has a plan in here somewhere," said John quietly. "I don't know what it is and we may never find out, but there is a reason for this war, just like there is a reason for everything."

* * *

10:27 AM, September 1, 1939

"Jerry! Jerry!" shouted Nan as she entered the house having just been in town. The family had come to the Glen for the weekend as several of the Blythe/Meredith grandchildren were going to Queens soon and there was going to go a 'going away party' for them. Currently they were staying with Jerry's parents, but they were out at Ingleside visiting the Blythe's.

"I'm in the den!" Jerry called. Nan quickly ran to the room.

"Jerry, Germany attacked Poland early this morning!" said Nan breathlessly, "well, last night for our time, but Polish time it was about 4:30 am."

Jerry quickly pushed his chair back and stood up from his desk, ignoring the quick spasm of pain that often came with sudden movement. "When did you hear this?" he asked nervously and a bit breathlessly. News of this sort could only mean war.

"Just a few minutes ago in the market," Nan answered. "I ran into Miss Cornelia and she told me."

"We can't always take Miss Cornelia's word as fact," Jerry said warily, "but I suspect that she has heard correctly this time. But to be safe, I'll go and get a paper." Jerry hurried off and was back in a few minutes with the morning paper. The worst was confirmed in the headline. **Germany Attacks Poland! ****Treaty of Versailles disregarded!**

"Oh, Jerry," cried Nan as she read the article, "why does this have to happen again? Why?"

"I don't know," Jerry said after a moment. "War is just a part of life." He shut his eyes as he remembered the horrors of the previous war. He knew this war would be just as bad, if not worse, than the previous war and he didn't want another generation scared like his was.

"Jerry?" asked Nan after a few moments. "Are you all right?"

"What?" said Jerry as he came out of his thoughts.

"You looked a bit lost," Nan explained. "Are you okay? Is your back bothering you at all?"

"I'm fine, Nan, really," Jerry said. "I'm just in shock."

"At least Walter's not old enough to join yet when England declares war, which will simply be a matter of days," said Nan in relief.

"Nan, I know he's going to go," Jerry answered. "He'll sign up. All of the Blythe and Meredith boys will. It's in their blood."

"Yes, but there still is hope that the war will be over before then," Nan replied. "Most likely a false hope, but it still is hope."

A pale Cecilia came downstairs and entered the sitting room. "Did you hear the radio?" she asked. "There's going to be another war!"

"I just saw the announcement in the papers," said Jerry quietly.

"Do you think England and Canada will fight?"

"They will," Nan said simply. "I know they will."

Cecilia nodded slowly. "Now I wish we were all younger," she murmured. "I know Walter's going to sign up as soon as he can."

"Ceci," Jerry began, but he couldn't think of what else to say.

"Mum! Dad!" called a voice from the yard. The voice quickly entered the room and an excited Walter appeared in the doorway. "There's a lot of talk in town about another war."

"So you've heard as well," murmured Nan.

"Prob'bly everyone has heard by this point," said Walter, "or nearly everyone."

"Everyone will know by the end of the day, or at the very least, by Sunday," said Jerry.

"I guess so," Walter said quickly. "Dad, I'll turn eighteen in eight months. Could I sign up then?"

Jerry gulped. "Isn't it a little early to think about that?" he asked.

"No," Walter answered.

"You may when you're eighteen, but please, don't talk about enlisting if you can help it," said Jerry softly.

"All right, Dad, Mum," said Walter and he hurried upstairs.

* * *

11:02 AM, September 1, 1939

Carl was busy writing some information about a new bug he thought he had just discovered when Jerry appeared at the door.

"Jerry!" said Carl in surprise. "I thought you were in Lowbridge."

"Nan, the kids, and I came down last night," Jerry explained. "We're staying at Mum and Dad's for the weekend."

"Oh," said Carl, then he looked at his brother's face. "What's wrong?" he quickly asked. "Did something happen to Nan or the kids? Mum or Dad?"

"Relax, Carl," said Jerry as he drew up a chair. "Nothing happened to anyone, at least not yet."

"What then?" Carl asked. "Your face is telling me that something is wrong."

"Read this," Jerry said and he handed Carl the front page.

Carl took the page and peered at it. Once he saw the headline he gasped in horror. "Why?" he asked simply. "Why? I thought we were finished with war."

"War is a part of life," Jerry said as if it were the only answer and to him that was the only answer.

"I know that," muttered Carl, "but why does it have to always be happening? We're still recovering from the Great War! And some of us won't ever recover physically, let alone mentally."

"Carl," said Jerry as he leaned towards his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No matter what, there's some strange reason or other for this. And yes, nearly all of the men our age are still recovering from the horrors." Jerry paused for a few seconds, but continued, "Even though it's been twenty years, there still are some days that I can barely manage to get out of bed because of back pain."

"Have you talked to Jem or Dr. Blythe about that?" asked Carl worriedly. He knew his brother still had a few problems, but he hadn't realized that it was that bad.

"Jem knows it still hurts, but not that it keeps me down," Jerry said quickly. "He has enough going on already and I don't want to add anything more to his plate."

"You really should have someone look at it," advised Carl. "There could be something that the doctors missed when you were first wounded."

"Perhaps," Jerry agreed, "but I can't do it right now."

Carl nodded as his gaze went back to the paper. "Do you think England will declare war soon?" he asked.

"Yes, I know they will," Jerry answered. "The treaty of Versailles has been broken and Poland is in trouble. It won't be long before Germany attacks again, but I hope England and Canada will be able to stop Germany before it gets very far."

"So do I," sighed Carl as he closed his book. He couldn't concentrate on bugs anymore.

At that point, a rather pale Persis entered the room. "There you are, Carl," she said. "Oh, hello, Jerry."

"Hi, Persis."

"Carl, did you see the paper?" Persis asked.

"Yes," Carl answered. "Is that why you're so white?"

Persis nodded. "I never believed that this would happen again," she said. "We were all certain that war would never destroy our lives again, but it is going to."

"We'll get through it," promised Carl. "We managed to pull through twenty years ago, so we can pull through it again."

"What about Owen?" asked Persis quietly.

"Let's just wait and see what happens," Carl answered. "He won't turn eighteen for over two years, so there is hope."

"Hey, Mum, Dad, Uncle Jerry," said Owen as he entered the room. He went over to the bookshelf and began rummaging.

"Are you looking for something, Owen?" asked Persis.

"What?" Owen asked a bit absentmindedly. "Oh, yeah. Where's our copy of The Hobbit?"

"I think Rose took it to her bedroom," Carl answered.

"Okay," Owen replied. He was about the exit the sitting room when he looked at his father's face. "Dad, what's wrong? Has Germany done something drastic?"

"Yes," said Carl, "but how did you guess?"

"Germany's been overtaking countries for a few years and they would have to do something bigger soon," shrugged Owen. "What country is it now?"

"Germany attacked Poland early this morning, well, late last night in our time," explained Jerry. "England's bound to declare war any day."

"I wish I were eighteen," muttered Owen.

"We'll I'm thankful you aren't," Persis said firmly. "And this war better be over before you do turn eighteen."

"I doubt that's possible considering the Great War," said Carl, "but we can hope, even though it may be a false hope."

* * *

11:34 AM, 1 September, 1939

Miller was minding the store when he heard the news. "Miller!" someone called.

He turned and saw Carl Meredith enter the store. "Hey, Carl," he answered. "Can I get you something?"

"No, I'm not here for shopping," said Carl. He paused and took a deep breath. "I don't know if you've heard, but Germany attacked Poland about twelve hours ago. Most likely England will declare war any day now."

"War, again?" asked Miller in shock. He limped around the back of the counter until he was standing next to Carl.

"Yeah," said Carl. "I just heard it from Jerry. Who knew another war would happen?"

"I certainly didn't," muttered Miller. "I better get home and tell Mary before Luke does. Knowing him, he'll sign up the moment the recruitment office opens."

"You were the same," Carl pointed out. "The only reason you waited was to ensure that you'd have Mary."

"True," Miller admitted, "but I best be off. Could you mind the store for a few minutes until I get back?"

"Sure," replied Carl and he headed to the counter.

A slightly out-of-breath Miller arrived at his home a few minutes later. "Miller, is everything all right?" Mary asked as she saw him come up the walk. "You never leave the store unless there's an emergency."

"This qualifies as an emergency," said Miller. "Mary, there's going to be war again."

"What?" cried Mary as the glass she was holding slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. "Another war?"

"That's what Carl said," Miller admitted. "It's bound to be in the paper though."

"I'll run and get it," Mary said, "and you, sit down and rest your leg. All that fast walking isn't good for it."

"Mary, I've survived twenty years with a wooden leg. I'm certain it can take a brisk ten minute walk."

"That may be," said Mary as she came back outside, this time armed with a newspaper and a broom. She handed the newspaper to Miller and proceeded to sweep up the shards of glass.

"Carl's right," Miller said after a few minutes. "Germany attacked Poland and war's gonna happen soon."

Mary sighed. "Luke's going to sign up, won't he," she said. It wasn't a statement, but a fact.

"He inherited a combination of both of our stubborn traits," Miller said with a slight grin. "He won't back down from any type of challenge."

"That's true," said Mary. She sighed and said, "I'm proud of the man Luke has become, but right now I wish he still were a baby in the cradle. I don't want him to go off to war, but I know I'll be proud of him if he chooses to do so."

"Thanks, Mum," said Luke who just walked in. "I just heard the news. I wish there wouldn't be another war, but war is a part of life, a hated part, but a part nonetheless."

"You act a lot older than you age at times," said Miller with a shake of his head. "When I was your age and the Great War started, I thought war was all glory and excitement. Boy, was I wrong."

"The glorious wars are of days long gone," said Luke. "I would consider those to be the wars of the medieval period, because of the whole 'knights in shining armor' and Kind Arthur legends. Now though, they're pure chaos."

"I'm glad you know that, son," said Miller proudly.

"If it comes to war, I'm not going to go for the sake of glory," Luke continued. "It would be for God, King, and country. England will need men and Canada will supply some of them. I will need to go because of duty, not honour."

"You're really like your uncle, Walter Blythe," said Mary. The Douglas children had always called Anne and Gilbert's children, as well as John and Rosemary's, uncle and aunt. "He too didn't want to go for the glory, but rather for the duty."

Luke nodded and said, "Uncle Jem mentioned that once. I never thought I was like him, but . . ."

"Son, I'm proud that you understand what war is better than most," Miller said.

"I did grow up around some of the consequences of war, so it kinda came naturally," said Luke. "I mean, you're leg, Uncle Carl's eye, and just how a lot of the others in town act just because of what they saw and who the lost. I saw from a young age what war did to people, you guys didn't, so I do have a different view on what war is."

"I wish everyone could see thing as you do, Luke," said Mary softly. "If so, perhaps there wouldn't be such a thing as war."

"I doubt that," muttered Luke, "but so many don't understand the consequences of war. I do to a certain degree, so it's not out of want to fight that I will enlist, but more of a need to fight for duty."

"Good for you, son," said Miller as he slowly stood up. "I'm headed back to the store to relieve Carl. You can come and see what everyone else is thinking if you'd like."

"No thanks, Dad," Luke answered and with that he went upstairs.

"He is turning into a very thoughtful adult," said Mary. "I think we raised him well."

"You did," Miller assured his wife.

* * *

All of the boys who were no matter whether they were eighteen or older, or younger, knew that they would have to make a choice. It would come to war, there was no doubt of that. When war did come, they would have to choose: fight or stay home, fight for glory and honour or duty, fight to preserve the right of mankind. Whether they choose to fight for the right or the wrong reasons was entirely up to them, but hopefully they would all choose to fight for the country and the world rather than themselves. Fighting wasn't about selfishness, it was about self-sacrifice.


End file.
